Compact self-lubricating bearing system

Abstract

The bearing lubricating system comprises a casing having a bore which defines a reservoir and a well sized to receive a sufficient volume of a suitable liquid lubricant. A return passage in the casing allows fluid flow from the well to the reservoir. A shaft extends through the reservoir and through the well. At least one bearing is situated in the bore between the reservoir and the well. A pumper element is mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith within the well. A pair of end seals seal off the opposite ends of the bore from the ambient.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A bearing lubricating system, comprising: a casing having a body defining a bore, a liquid lubricant reservoir, a circular well, and a return passage between said well and said reservoir;   said well having at least one expanding channel gradually tapering outwardly over an arcuate extent;   said channel having a discharge outlet communicating with said return passage;   a shaft extending through said reservoir and through said well;   at least one bearing between said reservoir and said well, said bearing having an inner race, an outer race, and bearing elements between said races for supporting said shaft for rotation within said bore;   a circular pumping mechanism concentrically mounted on said shaft for rotation within said well, said pumping mechanism having (1) an overall diameter corresponding substantially to the outside diameter of said outer race, and (2) at least two diametrically-opposed radial vanes, and each consecutive pair of vanes defining a pocket therebetween for accepting lubricant therein, whereby said pumping mechanism, when rotating with said shaft, (1) causing lubricant to flow by suction out of said reservoir through and across said bearing and into said well, thereby lubricating and cleansing said bearing elements, and (2) pressurizing said lubricant to flow out of said well and return to said reservoir through said discharge outlet and said return passage; and   a pair of end seals at the opposite ends of said bore for sealing off said bore from the ambient.   
     
     
       2. A bearing lubricating system according to claim 1, and further comprising: a filter element for filtering said returning lubricant flowing from said return passage back into said reservoir.   
     
     
       3. A bearing lubricant system according to claim 2, and further including: an annular shoulder in said bore between said bearing and said reservoir, and said shoulder having an inlet passage; and   said pumping mechanism when rotating with said shaft causing lubricant to flow by suction out of said reservoir through said inlet passage, thence through and across said bearing and into said well.   
     
     
       4. An apparatus for controllably circulating liquid lubricant through a bearing supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a pressure pump mounted on said shaft adjacent to said bearing and being powered by said shaft to create a pumping action, said pump having a discharge outlet in fluid communication through a return channel with one side of said bearing, said return channel including a liquid lubricant reservoir and a filter coupled between said discharge outlet of said pump and said reservoir, whereby when said shaft is rotating, liquid lubricant flows from said discharge outlet through said return channel including said filter and said reservoir, through one side of said bearing and across said bearing, through the opposite side of said bearing, and returns back to said pump, thereby completing on full cycle of liquid lubricant flow; and   said pump raising the pressure of said liquid lubricant flowing therethrough by an amount sufficient to maintain adequate liquid lubricant flow across said return channel and to maintain sufficient suction across said bearing, thereby continuously and effectively recycling said lubricant through and across said bearing and lubricating and cleansing the surfaces of said bearing.   
     
     
       5. A bearing lubricating system, comprising: a casing having a body defining a bore, a liquid lubricant reservoir, a circular well, and a return passage between said well and said reservoir;   said well having at least one expanding channel gradually tapering outwardly over an arcuate extent;   said channel having a discharge outlet communicating with said return passage;   a shaft extending through said reservoir and through said well;   at least one bearing between said reservoir and said well, said bearing having an inner race, an outer race, and bearing elements between said races for supporting said shaft for rotation within said bore;   an annular shoulder in said bore between said bearing and said reservoir, and said shoulder having an inlet passage;   a pumping mechanism mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith within said well, whereby said pumping mechanism, when rotating with said shaft, causing lubricant to flow by suction out of said reservoir through said inlet passage, thence through and across said bearing and into said well, thereby lubricating and cleansing said bearing elements, and causing said lubricant to flow by pressure out of said well and return to said reservoir through said discharge outlet and said return passage;   a filter element for filtering said returning lubricant to said reservoir; and   a pair of end seals sealing off the opposite ends of said bore from the ambient.   
     
     
       6. A bearing lubricating system, comprising: a casing having a body defining a bore, a liquid lubricant reservoir, a circular well, and first and second return passages between said well and said reservoir;   said well having a pair of opposed expanding channels, each channel gradually tapering outwardly over an arcuate extent in a direction opposite from the other tapered channel, and each channel having a discharge outlet;   one of said discharge outlets communicating with said first return passage, and said other discharge outlet communicating with said second return passage;   a shaft extending through said reservoir and through said well;   at least one bearing between said reservoir and said well, said bearing having an inner race, an outer race, and bearing elements between said races for supporting said shaft for rotation within said bore;   a pumping mechanism mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith within said well; and   a pair of end seals sealing off the opposite ends of said bore from the ambient.   
     
     
       7. A lubricating system according to claim 6, and a pair of filter elements in said reservoir, each filter element being adapted to receive lubricant from its associated return passage depending on the direction of shaft rotation.   
     
     
       8. A bearing lubricating system according to claim 7, and a uni-directional valve between each return passage and its associated filter element.   
     
     
       9. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a bearing for supporting said rotating shaft, said bearing having an inlet side and an outlet side;   a rotary liquid pumping mechanism concentrically mounted on said shaft adjacent to said outlet side of said bearing for rotation with said shaft;   a casing having a body (1) defining a return flow channel externally of said bearing, (2) having an inner wall enclosing said bearing and surrounding said pumping mechanism with a defined clearance to form therebetween a defined pumping chamber having a discharge outlet, (3) sealingly receiving said rotating shaft, and (4) for containing a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant; and   said pumping mechanism, when rotating, discharging a volume of liquid lubricant at a higher pressure compared to the atmospheric pressure of the liquid lubricant at the inlet side of said bearing, and said discharged liquid lubricant flowing from said pumping chamber through said discharge outlet, said return channel, said inlet side of said bearing, said bearing, said outlet side of said bearing, and returning back to said pumping chamber, thereby controllably maintaining continuous liquid lubricant flow through said bearing.   
     
     
       10. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft according to claim 9, wherein said pumping mechanism is substantially circular in form and has an overall diameter corresponding substantially to the outside diameter of said bearing.   
     
     
       11. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a bearing for supporting said rotating shaft, said bearing having an inlet side and an outlet side;   a rotary liquid pumping mechanism concentrically mounted on said shaft adjacent to said outlet side of said bearing for rotation with said shaft;   a casing having a body (1) defining a return flow channel externally of said bearing, (2) having an inner wall enclosing said bearing and surrounding said pumping mechanism with a defined clearance to form therebetween a defined pumping chamber having a discharge outlet, (3) sealingly receiving said rotating shaft, and (4) for containing a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant;   said pumping mechanism, when rotating, discharging a volume of liquid lubricant from said pumping chamber, and the entire discharged volume of liquid lubricant flowing through said discharge outlet, said return channel, said inlet side of said bearing, said bearing, said outlet side of said bearing, and returning back to said pumping chamber, thereby controllably maintaining continuous liquid lubricant flow through said bearing; and   said defined clearance being such that said discharged liquid lubricant from said pumping mechanism being at a relatively higher pressure compared to the atmospheric pressure of said liquid lubricant at said inlet side of said bearing.   
     
     
       12. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft according to claim 11, wherein said bearing and said pumping chamber contain a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant when said shaft is not rotating.   
     
     
       13. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft according to claim 12, and further including: a filter element in said body for filtering said discharged liquid lubricant prior to returning it to said inlet side of said bearing; and   said pumping mechanism has at least two diametrically-opposed radial vanes, and each consecutive pair of vanes defining a pocket therebetween for accepting lubricant therein.   
     
     
       14. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a bearing for supporting said rotating shaft, said bearing having an inlet side and an outlet side;   a rotary liquid pumping mechanism (1) being generally circular in form, (2) having an overall diameter corresponding substantially to the outside diameter of said bearing, and (3) being concentrically mounted on said shaft adjacent to said outlet side of said bearing for rotation with said shaft;   a casing having a body (1) defining a return flow channel externally of said bearing, (2) having an inner wall enclosing said bearing and surrounding said pumping mechanism with a defined clearance to form therebetween a defined pumping chamber having a discharge outlet, (3) sealingly receiving said rotating shaft, and (4) for containing a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant; and   said pumping mechanism, when rotating, discharging a volume of liquid lubricant flowing from said pumping chamber, through said discharge outlet, said return channel, said inlet side of said bearing, said bearing, said outlet side of said bearing, and returning back to said pumping chamber, thereby controllably maintaining continuous liquid lubricant flow through said bearing.   
     
     
       15. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a bearing having an inner race, an outer race, and bearing elements between said races for supporting said rotating shaft, said bearing having an inlet side and an outlet side, and said bearing elements defining therebetween axial inlet flow passage;   a rotary liquid pumping mechanism concentrically mounted on said shaft adjacent to said outlet side of said bearing for rotation with said shaft;   a casing having a body (1) defining a return flow channel externally of said bearing, (2) having an inner wall enclosing said bearing and surrounding said pumping mechanism with a defined clearance to form therebetween a defined pumping chamber having a at least one expanding eccentric cavity gradually tapering outwardly over an arcuate extent and having a discharge outlet, (3) sealingly receiving said rotating shaft, and (4) for containing a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant;   said pumping mechanism having an outer peripheral wall in defined spaced relation to said eccentric cavity so as to compress liquid lubricant entering therein: and   said pumping mechanism, when rotating, discharging a volume of liquid lubricant from said pumping chamber, and the entire discharged volume of liquid lubricant flowing through said discharge outlet, said return channel, said inlet side of said bearing, said bearing, said axial inlet passages, said outlet side of said bearing, and returning back to said pumping chamber, thereby controllably maintaining continuous liquid lubricant flow through said bearing.   
     
     
       16. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a bearing for supporting said rotating shaft, said bearing having an inlet side and an outlet side;   a rotary liquid pumping mechanism substantially circular in form and having an overall diameter corresponding substantially to the outside diameter of said bearing, and said pumping mechanism being concentrically mounted on said shaft adjacent to said outlet side of said bearing for rotation with said shaft;   a casing having a body (1) defining a return flow channel externally of said bearing, (2) having an inner wall enclosing said bearing and surrounding said pumping mechanism with a defined clearance to form therebetween a defined pumping chamber having a discharge outlet, (3) sealingly receiving said rotating shaft, and (4) for containing a predetermined volume of liquid lubricant; and   said pumping mechanism, when rotating, discharging a volume of liquid lubricant from said pumping chamber, and the entire discharged volume of liquid lubricant flowing through said discharge outlet, said return channel, said inlet side of said bearing, said bearing, said outlet side of said bearing, and returning back to said pumping chamber, thereby controllably maintaining continuous liquid lubricant flow through said bearing.   
     
     
       17. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft according to claim 16, wherein said casing has a pair of axially-opposed openings defining a bore therebetween;   a pair of end seals sealing off the opposite ends of said bore from the ambient; and   said pumping mechanism has at least two diametrically-opposed radial vanes, and each consecutive pair of vanes defining a pocket therebetween for accepting lubricant therein.   
     
     
       18. An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft according to claim 16, and further including: a filter element in said body for filtering said discharged liquid lubricant prior to returning it to said inlet side of said bearing.